Couture is dead--or so goes the conventional wisdom as Yves Saint Laurent and other great fashion houses put their astronomically priced, one-of-a-kind designs into mothballs. But hand-craftsmanship and exquisite draping live on in the workshops of young designers who are finding creative ways to honor the masters affordably. Case in point: Claire Joseph.

WHO SHE IS: Savannah Stevens doesn't mind being called a bookworm. As a student, the Calabasas resident spent years in the library at Yale, and now, as co-chair of the Young Literati--a social/charitable arm of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles--she raises awareness of the city's public book palaces by recruiting members and coordinating scene-worthy events. "We like to be a part of the fabric of the literary life of L.A.

Rob Lowe's "The West Wing" character became so scarce this season the actor finally distributed a milk carton with his picture on it, instructing anyone who sees Sam Seaborn to contact his manager. Next week, Seaborn leaves Washington for good, with a plot line that apparently makes the White House aide an even more rarely sighted species: an office-holding Orange County Democrat.

Matt and Danny may be pulling good ratings with their fictional TV show, but NBC's real-life numbers for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" are another story. Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford star as a bickering writing duo on "Studio 60," a show that presumes to rescue a once-funny late-night comedy show a la "Saturday Night Live." But it's become clear that writer Aaron Sorkin's backstage drama needs a lifeline of its own.

SERIES Smallville: The Daily Planet hires Kat Grant (Keri Lynn Pratt) to fill in after Lois (Erica Durance) departs for Egypt, in this new episode (8 p.m. KTLA). Human Target: After he and Guerrero (Jackie Earle Haley) race to rescue the kidnapped Winston (Chi McBride), an eager-to-retire Chance (Mark Valley) is lured back into the security business by a billionaire philanthropist (Indira Varma) who needs his protection, in the season premiere (8 p.m. Fox). CSI: NY: When a young woman appears to have been strangled while participating in an anonymous Internet chat, the team must determine if it was a hoax or murder in this new episode (9 p.m. CBS)

That cutting-edge narrowcaster Jay Tarses is at it again. The brilliantly inventive mind behind "Buffalo Bill," "The 'Slap' Maxwell Story" and "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," Tarses is known for creating indelibly memorable half-hour series that are as baffling to most mainstream viewers as they are beloved by his fans. Yours truly is one of the biggest. Yet his new NBC series, "Black Tie Affair," is evidence that the gap separating Tarses from the rest of humankind may have widened.

"Billy Madison" looks as if it were made to fill the void left by Pee-wee Herman. We never needed Pee-wee more. Adam Sandler plays Billy Madison, a spoiled rich nudnik who stands to inherit the family business from his hotel tycoon father (Darren McGavin)--except Madison Sr. seems to think his jerky scion isn't up to it. For one thing, the only reason he graduated public school is because his father paid off the teachers.

Standing inside the fictional Montecito casino of "Las Vegas" in Culver City, NBC President of Entertainment Kevin Reilly was feeling like a winner Thursday morning, even though he admitted to a group of advertisers that "we haven't exactly had bragging rights lately."